Marist College Institute for Public Opinion - Marist Poll

Marist College Institute for Public Opinion Poughkeepsie, NY 12601  Phone 845.575.5050  Fax 845.575.5111 www.maristpoll.marist.edu

NY1-Marist Poll Weiner Undone: Slim Majority Want Weiner to Remain in Congress… No Go for Mayor *** Complete Tables for Poll Appended *** For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 Contact:

Lee M. Miringoff Barbara L. Carvalho Mary E. Azzoli Marist College 845.575.5050

This NY1-Marist Poll Reports: In the wake of U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner’s emotional admission that he engaged in inappropriate online activity with women other than his wife, a little more than half of New York City registered voters still want Weiner to remain in Congress. A majority, however, say Weiner should bid farewell to his hopes of becoming the next mayor of New York City. According to this NY1-Marist Poll conducted just hours after the story broke, 51% of New York City voters believe Anthony Weiner should not resign from Congress. 30% disagree and think he should step down, and a notable 18% are unsure. However, when it comes to the 2013 race for New York City mayor, voters want Congressman Weiner to stay out. A majority -- 56% -- do not want him to make a bid for the office, including a majority of Democrats. 25% of registered voters would like to see him campaign, and 19% are unsure. “All of this spells trouble for Congressman Weiner and his political future,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “For voters, there are questions of judgment -- never a winner for an office-holder.” House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is calling for an investigation into Weiner’s actions, but do New York City residents think Congressman Weiner acted illegally? Slightly more than six in ten -- 61% -- believe his behavior was unethical but not illegal. 13% say his actions constituted illegal behavior while the same proportion -- 13% -- report Weiner did nothing wrong. An additional 14% are unsure. The congressman has admitted that his actions were personal flaws and apologized to his wife, his family, his constituents, and the media. However, those in New York City don’t

think his teary mea culpa was sincere. Nearly two-thirds of New York City residents -- 64% - report Weiner apologized only because he got caught while 24% think he is truly sorry. 12% are unsure. Racy Online Rendezvous: The Exception or the Rule? While a majority of New York City residents -- 54% -- believe sending lewd photos over the Internet is unusual practice for politicians, a notable 30% of New Yorkers think it is common practice. 16% are unsure. Does the Internet Ruin Lives? Internet Users Don’t Regret Behavior, but View Lewd Photo Exchange as Cheating Most Internet users don’t have any regrets when it comes to their own online behavior. 83% say they have not said or sent anything over the Internet that they regret while 17% have. Congressman Anthony Weiner admitted yesterday that he exchanged lewd photos and engaged in other provocative activities with women other than his wife. Do New York City residents consider that to be cheating? Six in ten -- 60% -- think it does constitute infidelity. About one-third -- 32% -- says it does not, and 7% are unsure. If residents discovered their partner engaged in this type of behavior, half would hold a grudge. In fact, 50% report they would not forgive their partner if he or she sent sexually charged photos of themselves to someone over the Internet while 33% would forgive them. 17% are unsure. Women are less likely than men to forgive these indiscretions. A majority of women -- 54% - would not forgive their partner while 27% would. This compares with 45% of men who wouldn’t let go of the incident while 40% would move past it and forgive their partner. So, overall, does social media, like Facebook, do more harm than good, or does it do more good than harm? A majority -- 54% -- believe it is hurtful to relationships while 19% say it makes personal connections better. More than one in four New York City residents -- 27% - are unsure.

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How the Survey was Conducted

Nature of the Sample: New York City Poll of 500 Adults This survey of 500 New York City adults was conducted on June 6th, 2011. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the five boroughs of New York City were interviewed by telephone. Telephone numbers were selected based upon a list of telephone exchanges from throughout the city. The exchanges were selected to ensure that each borough was represented in proportion to its population. To increase coverage, this land-line sample was supplemented by respondents reached through random dialing of cell phone numbers. The two samples were then combined. Results are statistically significant within ±4.5 percentage points. There are 379 registered voters and 378 Internet users. The results for each of these subsets are statistically significant within ±5.0 percentage points. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.

Nature of the Sample: Adults

Nature of the Sample: Registered Voters

Congressman Anthony Weiner Resignation? Asked of NYC Registered Voters:

Question Wording: Do you think Anthony Weiner should resign from Congress, or not?

Congressman Anthony Weiner 2013 NYC Mayoralty? Asked of NYC Registered Voters:

Question Wording: Do you want Anthony Weiner to run for mayor of New York City in 2013, or not?

Views on Congressman Anthony Weiner’s Actions Asked of NYC Adults:

Question Wording: Congressman Anthony Weiner had a press conference today admitting he sent lewd photos over the Internet to women other than his wife. Do you think he did nothing wrong, did something unethical, but not illegal, or did something illegal?

Congressman Anthony Weiner’s Apology Asked of NYC Adults:

Question Wording: Anthony Weiner apologized for his actions and not telling the truth about them. Do you believe he is truly sorry or do you think he only said he was sorry because he got caught?

Is Sending Lewd Photos Over the Internet Common Practice by Politicians? Asked of NYC Adults:

Question Wording: Do you think sending lewd photos over the Internet is common practice by politicians or unusual?

Personal Online Practices Asked of NYC Adults:

Question Wording: Have you, yourself, ever sent or said anything over the Internet that you regret?

Is Sending Lewd Photos Over the Internet Cheating? Asked of NYC Adults:

Question Wording: Do you consider sending lewd photos over the Internet to people other than your partner cheating?

Forgive Partner for Engaging in Inappropriate Online Behavior Asked of NYC Adults:

Question Wording: Would you forgive your partner if they sent lewd photos of themselves over the Internet to other people?

Social Media: More Good Than Harm or More Harm Than Good? Asked of NYC Adults:

Question Wording: In general, do you think social media like Facebook does more harm than good or more good than harm to relationships?